The UEF citizens elect their governors, whatever power the Elders have is because their social models are working which has earned them the support of the populace and their elected representatives. If the GTVA usurp power then they are removing peoples democratic choice through violence and replacing it with a dictatorship.
Except that the only elected members of the UEF government wouldn't be the ones getting removed. The GTVA isn't removing anyone's democratic choice. The Elders are not elected. They have as much claim to democratic legitimacy as the GTVA does.
There it is again the assumption that nothing is going to change which completely ignores my argument that the Terrans will probably be unable to recreate the economic systems that the Elders developed due to the complexity of these systems and the loss of unique environment in isolationist Sol that allowed these systems to flourish. If these systems fail then the populace is looking at massive unemployment and damage to social infrastructure. This will change peoples lives drastically and all this blame will fall solely at the feet of the security council.
Why would the Terrans be unable to replicate the UEF systems? The UEF economic models were generated by supercomputers the GTVA would have access to. Isolationist conditions can be maintained and lifted slowly through tight regulation of the jump node. Moreover, the demand for materials in the GTVA would result in increased demand for goods, not less. The addition of a new market for UEF goods would not cause unemployment. This is pretty much as basic as economics get.
The GTVA government isn't staffed by morons. They know what they're doing.
One of the primary reasons cited for going to war was to give the Terran population an outside force to unite against - a common policy used by unpopular governments to distract from their own failings(recent examples include the invasion of Kuwait and the Falklands conflict). The Terran half of the GTVA is on the verge of civil war on a scale not seen since the NTF uprisings and without Vasudan aid the government would have already collapsed. Instead of doing as the Vasudans did to restore their systems and regain stability the terrans instead put all their resources into constructing the Sol gate and a crash fleet building program designed to defend against a foe that cannot be defeated militarily. All this whilst ignoring massive social problems within their own populace. Once the gate was finally constructed instead of doing the smart thing and opening a covert dialogue with the leaders of the Sol government they instead took a massive gamble where they launched a war that has crippled what was left of their financial output leaving them dependent on military aid from the Vasudans and left them staring at the complete dissolution of their society if the fail to quickly conclude the war. All in all pretty incompetent by most standards.
Oh ffs. Reread the causes of the war and you'll understand why "covert dialog" wasn't a good option for the GTVA. Then make sure you understand what MORPHEUS is and you'll understand why war was the only option.
Just because the Shivans can't be fought in the traditional manner doesn't mean that there aren't other viable contingencies that still require a powerful military. The evacuation of Capella would not have been possible without a strong military. And that, I'll add, is what the GTVA is focusing on. They're capable of evacuating entire planets in a matter of days. I trust in these contingencies far more than I trust the promises of some vindictive aliens who want us dead if we don't play by their rules. And the Shivans could probably kill them too if they really desired it.
You seem to think that the GTVA is one step away from falling apart at the seams. It isn't. The core systems (Vega, Delta Serpentis, Beta Aquilae) are in decent shape. The real issue is the periphery, which is where the effects of the depression were most keenly felt (Epsilon Pegasi is a notable example). An unrestricted line to Sol would spell economic collapse for both the UEF and the GTVA. The UEF models haven't planned for a massive influx of immigrants from the colonies, and the GTVA economy can't handle it either. Believe it or not, the war was probably a good thing in the long run (assuming no Shivan attack). The spread of Ubuntu is much the same. Less of a problem in the core, but a huge problem in the periphery.
Next, A) the GTVA isn't
dependent on Vasudan aid. B) it wasn't the war that made them seek Vasudan help in the first place. It was Capella. The Vasudans got away from the Second Incursion almost completely intact. The Terrans most certainly did not. The Vasudan complaint was that the Sol Gate project was slowing economic recovery.
It is not the cause of the depression. And no, the GTVA doesn't need the Vasudans in Sol. They could send another Anemoi or two to replace the Agincourt without a problem. The GTVA approached the Vasudans for two reasons: A) The UEF wouldn't attack the Vasudans, and B) resumption of cooperation between the two militaries is a good way to start mending the Rift. I say again,
the Terrans do not need the Vasudans in Sol.BTW, don't assume I know too many things that aren't available to everyone else. I haven't read that much of the internal stuff.
